I’ve read that the water in the English Channel is at its warmest in November. That seems counter intuitive to me, but it could be true. But I’m quite certain that the water off Bournemouth’s sandy beaches is freaking freezing in January. You wouldn’t catch me so much as dipping my toes in there. And yet, most afternoons, you will find a few people swimming or, nearer the pier, surfing.
I think they are all quite, quite mad. But these mad wild swimmers insist cold water swimming actually works wonders on promoting good mental health. That seems counter intuitive to me, but it could be true.
The Mexile 
“I’ve read that the water in the English Channel is at its warmest in November” If that is the case, it is more for looking than swimming, period. Our upper Great Lakes are always cold, goosebumps cold in July, wetsuits in August for surfing. I swim in Erie in August, it gets up to 80F in a hot year, still not Cancun but tolerable. I visited Erie last Tuesday, there was no surface ice and people were wind surfing inside the harbor. A mild winter in Ohio is a good thing.
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You won’t likely catch me in the sea off England at any time of year. As you say, it looks nice and that’s it. I might venture in once every few years, but only because it’s been so long since my last foolish swim that I’ve forgotten how cold it is.
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Brrr, that picture gives me goosebumps! Here we’d say, it looks friggin freezing.
What is the air temperature in Bournemouth these days?
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It’s been hovering around 0 degrees Celsius during the day time, down to minus 4 at night. Cold, without being Baltic.
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Similar to our weather now without sunny days. You would not find me near a beach. Probably not even to take a picture. 😬
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We have been wrapping up very warm on our walks so far this year. Whether to the beach or not. I’ve even invested in a flat cap.
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